


The Ship With No Name

by Bane of Spoilers (slightly_Crazy), SpotTheStriker



Series: A Pirate's Life For Me [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: 17th Century, Abusive Relationships, Adapted from a role-play, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Attempted Murder, Background SoRoku, Depression, Drug Use, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Manipulation, Found Family, Historical Fantasy, Historical Inaccuracy, Implied Sexual Content, Lots of Angst, Magical Elements, Magical Ship, Medical Inaccuracies, Mentions of Rape, Mentions of Slavery, Period Typical Attitudes, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Racism, Period-Typical Sexism, Racism Towards Non-British Nationalities, Riku Replica Has a Different Name (Kingdom Hearts), Slow Burn, Suicide Attempt, Swearing, Transformation, background akusai, slow character development
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:35:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29127315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightly_Crazy/pseuds/Bane%20of%20Spoilers, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpotTheStriker/pseuds/SpotTheStriker
Summary: British Naval Captain Kishi Lawrence is just the latest victim of the mythical Ship With No Name, or so he assumed, but the ancient pirate ship and Captain Xion have other plans for him. Forced into the unfamiliar, Kishi confronts the ugly side of societal norms and the deepest parts of himself in search of belonging.Kishi = Riku Replica
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: A Pirate's Life For Me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2137287





	1. The Three Day Captain

The _Independence_ was a three masted galleon, newly christened and only three days into its maiden voyage under the British and East India Trading Company flags. Kishi Lawrence was potentially the second youngest captain to date at 24 years old and he took his job very seriously.

The ship was 32 cannons and roughly 156 feet of creaking wood, fresh paint, stretched canvas, and a crew of 48 men, ranging in age from 18 to 45. It was a small crew for a relatively small ship. No doubt, testing the waters before determining if the vessel would stay in the hands of the young Captain.

The skies were clear for now, and the ocean was clear aside from a few islands in the distance off the port bow. Kishi didn't want them straying too far from visible land for what should be a relatively short journey from Florida to Panama, breaking in the sails.

The skies stayed clear most of the day, until the islands that had seemed so far away were behind them and the sun approached the horizon. The underside of the rain-heavy clouds were tinted purple in the twilight, though the rain had not yet fallen.

"There's a strong chance of a storm tonight, Captain."

"I see it," Kishi acknowledged. He was hunched over a map lit by a lantern, checking his compass occasionally.

"There's an island coming up that should have a cove on the East side, we'll probably get there just before dark. I don't want to lose my first ship in a storm but I'm not washing up on a reef either."

"I understand, sir." Terra walked off to bark orders to the men.

A smaller ship appeared from around a different island. It appeared to be an older ship, or at least had seen a few fights and repairs. It flew a Swedish flag, and the East Indian flag below that.

"Ship, ho!" came the callout from the crow's nest. Kishi took his time getting his spyglass to check it out. It wasn't any threat.

"No change, Terra," he told his first mate, "they're doing their own thing.".

The smaller ship turned their direction, the leading edge of the rain was just behind it.

Terra was watching it a lot closer than Kishi was. The Captain's concern was getting to a safe harbor, not an ally ship. The first mate leaned on the edge of the railing and fixed his hat some.

"Captain, that ship is gaining on us," he reported.

"They either have the same idea we do or are looking for aid. We can't slow down, or we will get caught in the storm."

As the ship drew closer, so did the leading edge of the storm, always just behind it. It wasn't until the ship was nearly upon them that the flags suddenly went down, the cannons fired, and a silver flag went up, adorned not with the skull and crossbones, but an inverted heart with a stylized cross sprouting where the point should be.

"What the hell?" Kishi's head jerked up in alarm as his crew scattered, looking for direction.

Terra was already on top of it. The older man had a lot more experience and had suspected something was up. He had their men preparing the cannons now while Kishi got over his shock a bit.

He grabbed his hat and slammed it down on his head, while he took stock of the situation. Bigger ships usually had an advantage. The more guns and men, the greater the chance of success. If a pirate wanted to take them down, they'd have to try a lot harder than that.

The return fire was slow, waiting for them to pull up alongside the ship a little more as Kishi had the helmsman turn the ship to engage.

A crossbow bolt landed harmlessly on the deck, followed by yellow-tinted knives. The storm moved over them as they returned fire, and lighting snaked from the sky to the knives.

There was a flash as the deck and center mast lit up before a cracking tearing sound exploded from where the lightning hit. Men scrambled to get away from the falling mess of canvas and splintered wood as the ship lurched and shuddered.

" _What the hell did they do to my ship?_!" Kishi snarled. He took over for the helmsman, turning the ship until they were finally able to return fire from the lower deck. Sixteen of his cannons went off, mostly towards the bow and stern as the middle of his ship was a scattered mess. The twenty or so of his crew that were soldiers were arming their long rifles, firing across the gap at the enemy pirates but the rain was problematic and reloading wet powder wasn’t going to help in the fight.

Three more bolts hit the deck, and with a flash of light they were replaced with people. A girl and three larger men, one redhead, one blue-haired, and a black-haired man starting to go grey. The later was holding a crossbow while the other three remained unarmed. The girl stepped forward and cleared her throat.

"Nobody's Captain demands the surrender of the _Independence_. Those who do will have the chance to plead for their lives."

Most of their demand was lost in the gunfire and rumble of the storm as Kishi's men turned to attack, firing their one shot and then pushing in with bayonets.

Terra drew his sword, he was halfway between the top deck and the main deck, when the pirates boarded. It was still unclear _how_ they had done that, but they were there.

"No surrender men! Show these pirates why you're the pride of the Royal Navy!" the first mate called, urging them to attack. Below decks, the cannons were still firing on the enemy ship.

A blue shield appeared for a moment, momentarily blocking the woman from view. Another flash of light and the older man was gone, and crossbow bolts rained again. Some were replaced by another person, six in all counting the three left behind. Winds tore against the sails and waves slapped the sides of the ship, spilling onto the deck while they seemed to leave the pirate ship alone. More daggers and subsequent lightning followed as the woman stepped forward again, smiling.

"I'll duel you for it, and this could all end," she offered Terra.

The sorcery alone made Kishi's crew falter. Very few of them had seen powers like this and almost all of them were superstitious. It was almost a sailing prerequisite.

Terra looked at her for a second and then back at his captain who was disheveled and still mostly out of sight. He was suspecting that she may have thought Terra, the first mate, was the Captain, and he mulled over his options while most of his crew were already surrendering.

"How do I know your word is good?" Terra called, taking the initiative.

"You don't. We're pirates. But I think it's better than guaranteeing we continue this attack, yes? Although I will say you might have an advantage in the fight, as I'll be one-handed. You _have_ shot me after all, but I have a _very_ good doctor." She laughed, as if telling a joke. Her speech patterns didn't match up with a typical pirate's, or even a sailor's. She spoke with the same air of confidence and importance as someone who could have funded the _Independence's_ building.

Terra was content to continue letting her think he was the Captain. He looked over his shoulder at Kishi who was still low on the upper deck and tried to convey with his gaze that he needed to stay low, especially when Kishi angrily started to get up to protest. Negotiating with pirates wasn't an option according to the handbook and Kishi knew the handbook inside and out.

The first mate walked down the stairs to confront the girl, sword still in hand. He took off his hat and set it on a barrel for now and motioned for the men to stand down. Some of them were already hurt or dead and the ones running up from below looking to fight seemed a little disoriented from the movement of the ship.

"If I win, you and your men leave," he confirmed.

"And when I win, we take half your cargo and ten crew members. You can pick the other nine, but I want the silver-haired pretty boy over there." She gestured to Kishi with her right hand, her left was hanging down and her fingers were just barely starting to drip blood. The sea and wind calmed a bit.

" _Pretty boy?!_ " Kishi scrambled to his feet, annoyed enough now to pitch a fit despite Terra trying to stop him. "I'm the _damn Captain_!" Terra had to resist the urge to facepalm.

"Maybe don't announce that, _sir,_ " he snapped.

"This is _my_ ship. I don't care who wins, I'm not leaving her," he insisted.

"Maybe act a little bit more like your station..." Terra mumbled, clearly annoyed but trying to stay in line.

She ignored the jab to instead say, "You don't find it more honorable to save the rest of your crew? Some Captain." Some of the pirates were giving Kishi looks of contempt.

She had a point but Kishi could never admit that to a pirate. He also didn't really know any of the crew besides Terra. They were just assigned to him. It wasn't like it was anything personal. In fact, he was trained to treat them as relatively disposable, saving the cargo and the ship itself was a priority for the company, and he just got his own command too. Maiden voyage and a pirate was trying to guilt trip him into surrendering, which wasn't an option.

"Have a little more faith in me, sir," Terra insisted. He took his gloves off and squared up. The deck was mostly ruined, with the remains of the mast lying across it, but there was space enough for a fight.

Kishi sighed, it hurt to cave like this.

"Fine," he negotiated, "if you win, you get half the cargo and I'll go with you, but the rest of the crew stays."

She hummed, pretending to think it over. "I suppose we could make do with one. And any volunteers, if they so wish."

Kishi huffed and took his hat off, fixing his hair as best he could. He never bothered with those awful wigs but only because he could kind of pull off the ponytail look without one. His hair was even the right color, teetering between white and silver. He walked down the stairs until he could put a hand on Terra's shoulder.

"I better do the fighting too," he grumbled.

"Sir?" Terra seemed a little more concerned.

"Before they pitch a fit about me not fighting for my underlings."

Xion stepped forward, still no weapon in hand.

Terra wasn't willing to back down, turning his back to the enemy briefly to lean in close to Kishi.

"Sir, it's _very likely_ they're just going to kill you and take all of the cargo. You can't trust them."

"I know, which is why I need to do the fighting. I'm better with a sword than you are and if things go south, you're really the better leader. You can fight them off, take your chances with the crew. Besides, if they really want me that badly they probably won't kill me here."

Terra thought about it for a second, studying Kishi before he said, "Alright." The first mate stepped back and Kishi drew his sword.

"None of this magic shit, witch," he called to her, "bad enough luck to have a _woman_ on my ship, let alone a crazy one."

"Just a weapon then." Another grin and flash of light, and she held a spiked claymore nearly as big as she was tall.

The redhead behind her scoffed, "Why ya favor his weapon so much?" The blue haired man glared at him.

Kishi's teal eyes glittered for a second and he strongly considered arguing that it was magic to summon the damn thing and thus it didn't count but he also knew his hand wasn't all that great right now and arguing might get them all killed. He very carefully started twisting in a circle with his sword held out, waiting for her to make a move. The more time he bought the better.

The pirates hadn't seized the ship very thoroughly and a lot of his men were still scattered and ready to fight. Terra had been able to retreat with a wide range of movement. It shouldn't take him long to get the rest of the crew in a position to retaliate.

She moved in straight away, keeping low and sweeping up. Kishi dodged it expertly, using his blade to gently guide her attack at an angle away from him. She whipped around with it, coming around to hit from the other side.

Something that heavy and big wasn't going to block easily. He danced gently out of range and lunged forward with his sword when it passed by. It stuck in the shoulder of her bad arm.

She thrust the strange weapon into the deck, breaking the boards Kishi was standing on. The boards already weren't in great shape, between the lightning and the rain, and he stumbled backwards as they cracked and splintered, pulling the sword out of her arm as he went. She left her weapon and lifted a leg to kick him.

He was in the process of tripping but still swiped at her leg with the sword as his butt hit the deck. It skimmed the side of her leg but it didn't bleed. She winced, grabbed the claymore with her bad arm and spun it to face him. He rolled under it and scrambled to his feet.

Kishi didn't like that his back was to her cronies now but it couldn't be helped. He needed an opening to get back in close to her.

Terra had slipped down to the lower decks and was helping the crew arm themselves quietly.

The pirate Captain took the opportunity to bring her weapon down on him, but he brought the sword up to block it, using his palm on the flat of the blade to support it. She felt the sword start to give and brought her other hand up to pinch under his arm.

He couldn't do anything about the pinch with both his hands focused on trying to keep the sword from bending any further. His uniform softened it, but the touch was alarming, and that arm dropped, sliding the claymore along his blade. The guard on the hilt saved his hand from any damage and he danced away, rolling his arm a bit.

She switched hands again before coming back at him. The injury in her left arm sure as hell didn’t seem to be slowing her down as much as she had implied it would.

Kishi pushed forward this time, sidestepping to get in close and slash at her. She didn't seem to be interested in dodging. This time it stuck in her side. She used the close quarters to finish the heavy blow.

He didn't expect it and couldn't get away in time. The claymore came down on his left shoulder, dislocating it and leaving him slightly stunned with the pain. He hadn't felt pain like that before and was too shocked to even yelp or shout.

She stepped back, grabbing his sword as she went so it wouldn't pull out. It pulled him along a bit as he held on, coming back to his senses with a whimper when his left arm was jostled. He dug his feet in and leaned back, yanking on the sword to try and pull it free and the wound started to trickle when it finally did.

The pirate kicked at him again. He didn't try to get away from it and instead stabbed at her leg with the sword. Again, it only grazed her. Where he'd got her leg before was just barely starting to bead up.

Frustrated and in pain, he growled and pushed a lot more aggressively, slashing at her torso but she hauled the claymore in front of her to block. His sword glanced off of it harmlessly.

She thrust forward and Kishi managed to get his sword between them but the force of the push and the uneven, slippery footing meant he was tripping again with the claymore pushing his blade against his chest. Kishi couldn't use two hands to reinforce the block so it was too weak to push back.

She stepped close to headbutt him over the block. He saw stars for a second and stumbled backwards, falling backwards onto his ass on the deck. The sitting position did make the push awkward and he was able to let go of the sword and roll over his useless arm, which did make him yelp a little in pain.

The pirate tried to step on his bad shoulder. He shifted a little, so she missed and reached into his coat to get his flintlock pistol, aiming it at her and firing.

A flaming chakram slammed into the deck on either side of him as the girl staggered back.

_"_ _Cheater."_

Kishi blinked in startled alarm at the weapons that were just _there_ and scrambled backwards away from them.

The redhead was coming his way, as well as one of the ones who arrived later who was built like (and honestly looked like) an ox.

Welp, so much for the duel. Kishi scrambled to find a sword, snagging one from one of his dead soldiers, and getting to his feet. Terra wasn't quite ready to mount another assault yet. Kishi could see the man in the corner of his eye, circling around the pirates with a few armed crewmen.

The big one reached to grab him by the arm while the redhead stopped at the girl.

Kishi slashed at the man's arm moments before Terra called out, "No one move! This duel is over! Lay down your weapons and surrender!"

There were about twenty men with Terra, some lined up with their rifles aiming at the pirates and some taking their guns around to the other side to surround them.

The huge man shrugged off the slash, pulling Kishi against him and with a flash, there was an enormous axe pressed against him. The redhead was the one to speak.

"The duel was over the minute yer Captain fired his gun. We'll leave, but he's coming with us."

Kishi held perfectly still, horribly uncomfortable now with that big blade so close.

"Hard disagree," Terra insisted, "the Captain said no magic. A weapon on his person is fair."

"Then no one won the duel and we're at an impasse," the blue-haired man said.

"My superior forces beg to disagree," Terra said firmly.

"No one won the duel? What are you talking about?" Kishi growled, "I shot your woman, she's dead, I clearly won." He couldn't see anything around the big ax in his face.

"I'd like to remind you that each one of us has the ability to sink your ship singlehandedly and there are _six_ of us." Xion, the pirate Captain, was clearly visible to everyone else. She looked terrible. "You'll find me harder to kill than that, pretty boy."

He tensed up at the sound of her voice. _How the hell was she still alive?_

"Kill them, Terra!" Kishi yelled.

Terra ordered, "Fire!" The crew open fired on the pirates.

All at once, they flashed and were gone. Kishi with them. From his perspective, everything seemed to stop for a moment after Terra's order. One of the flaming chakrams rose high enough for him to see and suddenly he wasn't on his boat. The sails stretching over him were grey.

He fussed a bit. Even when the pain from his shoulder made his eyes water he still tried to claw and bite at the arm around him. The axe dropped from in front of him. The girl was supported by another giant with black dreadlocks and the blue haired man was marching up to him.

Kishi pushed away from the guy who had been holding him and glared at blue hair for a second before frantically looking for his own ship. It was still floating a little ways away from the one he was on now. He turned and bolted for the railing.

It was the blue-haired man's turn to grab him. A blonde woman and the older man with gray streaked long hair were both standing at the railing, taking shots at his ship. Lightning struck through a sail, setting it ablaze.

He kicked at blue hair and growled, "Damn it, stop attacking my ship!"

"Then surrender," Xion said behind him.

Kishi watched them for a minute more, growling irritably, but it was clearly a lost cause. He was already captured, that wasn't going to change. At _least_ he could make sure Terra got out of this alive. He slumped a bit and looked down, cursing under his breath before he finally stopped fighting.

"Fine. I surrender. Let them go."

"Xigbar, Larxene, stand down. Somebody get Marluxia patching up those holes, I'm going to need to see Sora." The captain departed, orders given, and headed below the deck.

The man with the salt and pepper hair, Xigbar, came over to Kishi, grinning and sizing the young Captain up with his one good eye.

"So will you, but you'll wait until he's done with Captain Xion. Welcome aboard _The Ship With No Name_ , pretty boy."


	2. First Impressions

"Fuck you," Kishi hissed but a lot of the bite was gone. He pushed blue hair off and looked longingly at his ship, still considering making a break for it. If he could get over the railing it was a short swim...

"If you misbehave, she _will_ go down," Blue warned.

"You can't follow her forever," Kishi hissed but he stayed still, gently holding his injured shoulder. His uniform was all messed up now and he felt naked without his hat. They weren't tying him up, giving him directions, or anything, so he figured he had a shot for at least some kind of retribution. The first time that a weapon presented itself, he'd try and take a few down with him.

"You'd be surprised how fast we can get this ship going when we're all working at it. Speaking of, Xaldin, give us a stiff northeasterly breeze, will ya?" Xigbar started barking orders to get the ship moving away from the _Independence._

Night was settling in now but it was hard to tell with the storm clouds still lingering. The further they got from his ship the darker it got. The fires from her sails had at least created the illusion of remaining daylight but now it was back to dark skies and candlelight.

Kishi rushed to the railing anyway to watch his ship get farther away. He was still trying to judge the distance. If he could swim farther than they could throw their magic... but the _Independence_ would never be able to outrun them in her condition.

He growled and kicked the railing then sat down by it with a heavy grunt. He'd show them misbehaving as soon as he was sure his ship was safe.

It wasn't long after he sat down that there was a small hand on his shoulder. He pulled away, refusing to look at who it was and got shoved. Hard. But not effectively. It jostled his arm and he hissed with the pain.

"Damnit what the hell do you want?" Kishi growled as he whipped around.

It was a child. An actual _child_ , not like a cabin boy. He couldn't have been more than six years old. Golden eyes glared at him from under a wild mane of dark hair with an intensity that rivalled the heat from the redhead's weapons.

"Bitch," the kid snapped.

Kishi blinked in alarm and then narrowed his eyes when he was cussed at.

"You're probably the demon they're going to sacrifice me to huh?" he growled at the kid.

"You stabbed Cap'n an' you shot her." The kid didn't know the word demon at all or what it had to do with snacks.

"Well your Captain is a witch who kills people and steals from them. She deserved to get stabbed and shot. She really deserves a noose," Kishi insisted.

"Nuh uh."

"Who the hell brings a kid onto a pirate ship anyway? Were you kidnapped?" The boy tilted his head, black hair fanning out of its spikes a little.

"Whatever," Kishi grumbled. No one else seemed to be paying him any attention. He got up, still holding his injured shoulder, and started quietly moving towards the bow of the ship, looking for anything that he could use as a weapon. The boy started to follow him.

Kishi ignored him. Eventually he found a crowbar that no one seemed to care about just yet. He picked it up and slid it up his sleeve to hide it before heading towards the Captain's quarters.

The boy grabbed his ponytail and yanked hard when he got to the doors.

Kishi yelped in alarm and scrambled, off balance he instinctively tried to break his fall with his arms but his left one didn't respond correctly, and pain lanced through his body as he landed on it, screaming for a couple seconds before he managed to force it down to a pained whimper.

"Sadistic brat," he managed around shaky breaths, "go harass someone else."

"You can't go in there," the kid said blandly.

Kishi's screaming had drawn the attention of the blonde woman as well, who looked over the railing above him.

"What, can't handle a five-year-old? I thought you were a _Captain._ "

Kishi glared up at her, trying to channel his hate and grief into it but he could tell it was falling short. He had never really been hurt in his life beyond bruises and minor scratches so something as simple as a dislocated shoulder was giving him trouble.

"I'm not a babysitter," he growled, "who did you steal him from pirate? I'm sure the younger ones sell for more don't they?"

" _Please,_ we couldn't pay someone to take him."

"Bitch," the kid said again.

"Then what's the point? Of taking him, taking me?"

"That kid was born on this boat. And the boat demanded you."

"Fine, don't tell me." The _boat_ demanded? Sounded like a shit excuse for crime. She scoffed before climbing up the rigging to adjust some of the sails.

Kishi struggled to his feet again, careful to keep the bar in his sleeve, when a grey head peeked out from below deck and beckoned Kishi over to the hole in the floor.

He saw the wave and looked behind himself for a second. The kid wasn't facing the person either so it couldn't have been for him. Kishi looked at the person, frowned at what seemed like an obvious trap, and immediately turned around again to grab the door handle to the Captain's quarters. This time the boy tried to punch him in the balls. Kishi was ready for it and kicked the kid to buy some time while he used the pry bar to get the door open.

The doors swung open to a black void. Grey hair spoke. He sounded much younger than the other crew and was carrying an open book.

"I'd suggest following me so the doctor can look at your arm."

"Sora!" The little boy tried to run off with a screech, but Grey caught him.

"Vanitas, you know you are _not_ to interrupt Sora while he is working."

"...why? Why treat a prisoner?" Kishi asked over his shoulder while he contemplated braving the dark. The void was admittedly very ominous.

"The ship demanded you, you're only gonna be a prisoner if you're a problem."

"What does that even _mean?"_

"Would you like to get your arm taken care of or not?"

Kishi tsked and followed the guy after a moment of internal deliberation.

It wasn't very well-lit below deck, but the man knew his way around.

"I am Zexion, what should I call you?" Grey, er, Zexion was shorter than he thought, now that they were on even footing and he could get a better look. His hair was short in the back and long in the front and brushed forward over one side of his face. It was an eccentric and impractical hairstyle in Kishi’s opinion. 

"Cap-... Lawrence, Kishi Lawrence," he said somewhat grumpily. Zexion wrote it down in his book and stopped by an unassuming door.

"Through here. Hurt Sora and the crew won't hesitate to kill you, ship's words or not," he cautioned.

So, this Sora was someone really important. Interesting. Kishi let himself in warily when it was clear Zexion wouldn't be following.

The boy behind the door was a brunette with bright blue eyes. He was maybe a few inches shorter than Kishi but made up for it with sheer energy. It was like looking into the sun, the energy was almost tangible. Talk about a good first impression.

He grinned and stuck his hand out to shake when Kishi came in the door.

"Hi there! Name's Sora, I'm the ship's doctor."

Kishi just stared at the hand for a minute before refusing it. This guy was friendly and maybe even cute, but he was still a pirate and possibly a valuable bargaining chip.

"Then fix me.”

Sora stepped over to inspect him, revealing the Captain sleeping in a hammock behind him.

"Can you take your jacket off for me?" he asked.

Kishi wasn't particularly thrilled about that but he managed to slide his coat off without whimpering and Sora started running his hand up his upper arm.

"It's not broken, so you won't need healing magic."

"I wouldn't want any of that devil nonsense anyway," Kishi grumbled irritably under his breath.

"This is going to hurt, sorry." Sora gripped his arm tightly before pushing it back into place.

Out of reflex, Kishi punched him in response, crying out in alarm at the sharp pain before it died down into a sore numbness.

Sora cried out and grabbed his cheek with a muttered, "Maybe I should have counted you down."

He took a couple shuddering breaths and then tested the arm. It was moving normally now. The bruising made it ache, but the majority of the pain was gone.

"Thanks," he muttered back.

"It's no biggie. Were you hurt anywhere else?"

"Just some scrapes and bruises, nothing that won't heal okay on its own." Kishi put his officer coat back on. It was filthy but it was at least familiar. Then he started subtly looking around, assessing this little infirmary to get an idea of what was here and what could possibly be used as a weapon. The Captain was here, sleeping, and the crew's prized doctor was as well, this wasn't a bad opportunity to take charge and maybe get them to drop him off at the next port.

"You must be a pretty damn good doctor... or I'm a bad shot."

"It's a combination of being a good doctor and the ship not wanting us to die. You served in the British Royal Navy too?" Sora asked.

Kishi paused a second to process that ‘too’ before he responded, "I _am_ in the British Royal Navy. Did you desert to become a pirate?"

"...no. Dishonorable discharge mid voyage. Captain pulled me out of the water."

That made him wrinkle his nose.

"I see." Kishi wandered around looking for a scalpel or a bone saw or anything. "You seem nice enough, would you willingly be a hostage for a few hours?"

"Sorry, no can do." The cabin was a mess and there were several tools just behind Sora on the desk.

"Then I guess we're just going to have to do this the hard way." Kishi lunged for the desk, grabbing at a decently weighted hammer. There was a flash of light and a shiny silver sword-like key appeared in Sora's hand.

"I don't think you want to fight on this ship," warned the doctor.

Kishi was trying to assess the situation and wasn't liking his odds but it was just one to one and if he could get the sword then that was a better weapon option than the hammer.

"I don't really have another alternative," Kishi admitted, voice relatively calm as he bounced the hammer around, "everyone here so far seems convinced I'm going to just behave, maybe even turn into one of you magician monsters overnight, like taking me from my first command was going to convince me to just join up. Well, it's not gonna happen." Kishi threw the hammer at Sora and then quick grabbed at another lighter one to follow up. Sora just blocked.

"You're not going to stay a threat. The ship can fight in her own way."

The lighter hammer didn't budge as if backing up Sora’s claim.

Not being able to pick it up startled Kishi a lot and he lost his balance when it didn't tug free. This was the first time it really clicked that this whole ‘ship is alive’ joke might not be a joke. A powerful sense of dread came over him as he looked at the hammer, then at Sora, and then around himself as he started to realize how much "ship" there actually was.

He wanted _off._

Very, very carefully, he put his hands up and moved towards the door, trying his best to not seem like a threat as he backed out of the room. Sora lowered the key as he went.

Kishi turned and ran back to the deck when he had more space between himself and Sora. He went to the railing, got his bearings via the limited starlight peeking through the calmed clouds and what he knew about where the moon would be this time of month, and then backed up a second to get a running head start to jump over the side.

A board cracked under his foot as he backed up. It threw him off and he almost tripped but it confirmed in his mind that the ship was either alive or he had the worst luck on the planet. The fear gripped him a little harder and he scrambled to the railing.

A bolt hit the wood beside him before Xigbar took its place. "Going somewhere?"

Kishi slipped on the deck in surprise, hesitating just for a second before he still tried to scramble over the railing. Xigbar grabbed the back of his jacket.

"I don't think the Cap'n would be very happy if her pretty boy drowned."

"Better drowned than expected to join a crew of pirates!" Kishi tried to punch Xigbar but the angle was bad and he swung pointlessly at nothing.

"Who said anything about joining?" the eyepatch man, Xigbar, asked. He grinned and leaned away from the flailing.

If not joining, then what? Why was he here?

"...A-Are you going to sacrifice me to the ship?"

"Please, like the captain would allow that. Used to, but no."

"...Are you going to eat me?"

"We're going to see why the ship made us change course to come get you. And _you_ are going to stay on this ship. Not that she'd let you go easily." Xigbar started pulling him back.

 _They don't even know why I'm here?_ Kishi shrugged out of his jacket and ran for the railing, one last attempt to get off this ghost ship.

Another board cracked. It tripped him and he faceplanted on the deck, just barely shy of the railing. It admittedly freaked him out a bit and he scrambled fearfully at the railing.

One of Kishi’s boots fused to the deck. He tried to use the railing as leverage to get his foot free, getting a little more hysterical as he was being forced to accept that the ship weirdness could could work on _him._ He tried to wiggle out of the boot instead.

Xigbar grabbed him again, this time by the back of his neck.

"I've got a cell I could put you in if you'd prefer that," the man offered. Although maybe offer was a generous way to say threatened.

"It's a dream... It's got to be. I ate something bad," Kishi giggled a little crazily, "yeah that's it."

Xigbar started to drag him but Kishi wasn't fighting anymore. He just kept mumbling to himself about magic ships, myths, and reminding himself to tell Terra to check the food when he woke up.

**Author's Note:**

> Updates will hinge on demand. Please leave a brief comment to indicate that this work is being engaged with and I will continue to post chapters. -Spot


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